The Bones That Belonged To Booth
by creativeangel89
Summary: Leading on from the Season 6 Finale, Booth and Brennan are navigating their way through coupledom and the challenges of being expectant parents whist keeping it all a secret from their friends and colleagues.
1. Chapter 1  Wake Up Call

**A/N - A B&B story leading on from the season 6 finale! Forgive me if I've made any terrible spelling mistakes. Don't know where I'm going with this story yet...hoping for some feedback so please read and review :)**

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><p>Seeley Booth opened one eye to glance at his cell phone that was sounding into his left ear. He dared to look at his bedside clock which read 4.43 am and groaned. He flicked open his phone to find that it was Cam calling.<p>

"Booth", he answered.

"Seeley? It's Cam. We have a possible homicide; we need you on the case right away. I'll forward you the details".

"Great", he said before dropping his cell back onto his bedside table and pulling his pillow over his head to wait for a second call. A few seconds passed by and the cell phone on his right bedside table sounded, waking the woman who had been soundlessly dozing by his side. She jumped up and grasped it, simultaneously knocking her watch on the floor that she had slipped off and placed next to her phone earlier that evening.

"Brennan", he heard her rasp before he slipped out of bed to retrieve the briefs he had earlier thrown to the floor in passionate haste, then he made his way into the bathroom to quickly wash his face and brush his teeth. Just as he was finishing up he felt her delicate arms wrap themselves around his torso and looked up into the mirror to see her smiling back at him.

"We should go in separate cars", she offered.

"Right, don't want to arouse suspicion", he smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips before retiring back to the bedroom to get dressed. When he was fully clothed in his usual smart black FBI attire and bright purple tie, he grabbed his phone and gun ready to leave. "I'll see you there".

"Okay, see you there", Bones voice echoed from the bathroom.

As booth drove to the crime scene he thought about everything that had changed in his life over the past month. He was going to be a father for the second time which he was more than thrilled about. He finally had the woman he had always loved and he and Bones were rather proud that they had been able to hide it so well from their family, friends and colleagues who still had no clue what was going on. Except Max. He seemed to have figured out that something had changed and they had been forced to come clean a couple of weeks ago over lunch at the Diner but he had promised to keep it a secret until everyone else knew. They still hadn't talked marriage, child rearing, religion, where to live or any of those important things yet but Booth wanted to enjoy the honeymoon period of this new relationship before they waged war over how to raise little Bones Jr. The one thing they were both dreading was breaking the news to Sweets…

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><p>Temperance Brennan quickly dressed and retrieved her watch from off the floor and fastened it back around her wrist as she headed out of Booth's apartment. She jumped into her car and set out to the crime scene precisely six minutes after Booths departure. No one was going to suspect a thing and she smiled to herself, delighted with her own coy behaviour over the last few weeks. She was also relieved that she had yet to experience the dreadful morning sickness that most expectant mothers always complained about. She stopped at a red light and patted her still flat stomach which disappointed her. She was 9 weeks pregnant and would have to wait a while before she began to show but she was looking forward to a pregnant belly like Angela's. There was little traffic on the roads so after only fifteen minutes she reached the spot near the woods where she saw Booth's car and the sight of flashing police lights. She immediately went round the back of the car to suit up and grab her case and gloves before being escorted by a police officer about 20 yards in amongst the trees that let only the minimal amount of light in from the dawn sky that was getting lighter by the minute. Booth, of course, was already there peering over the set of bones and rotted flesh talking to Cam whilst Hodgins hovered nearby collecting leaves and scooping up clumps of dirt into his glass evidence jars for sampling back at the lab.<p>

"Shouldn't you be at home with Angela and Michael"? Temperance asked Jack as she neared the three of them.

"Angela was fast asleep and so was Michael so I snuck out". Jack Hodgins looked rather pleased with himself if not a little weary from the 5 week old baby that was now a permanent part of he and Angela's lives. Booth turned to face her and winked before going into the details of the crime scene that was before them.

"Young couple called it in. They were camping out here and stumbled upon the body", Booth informed her.

Temperance bent over the sight she had seen hundreds of times before and thought to herself that the victim was female between 16 and 19 years old and estimated time of death to be around 2 or 3 days ago. Before she had the chance to relate any of this information to Cam or Booth, she felt a sudden queasiness come over her and stood up which caused her to feel light headed. She could see that Cam was about to ask her what was wrong when she was forced to turn around and after a few gags, she saw her very first bout of morning sickness very close to contaminating the crime scene.

"Bones". Booth rushed over to her with concern on his face and took her arm and began leading her away from the crime scene. "Have all of this brought back to the Jeffersonian", he told the commanding officer before addressing Cam. "I'm taking her home".

Both Dr. Saroyan and Dr. Hodgins looked on utterly confused as Booth and Bones made their way to his car.

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><p>As it happened, Temperance Brennan refused to go back home and instead insisted that Booth call at the 24 hour convenience store to pick up the same crackers she had seen Angela carrying around in the early stages of her pregnancy, along with some bottled water before taking her to the lab. Once seated on the comfortable sofa in her office with a box of salted crackers Brennan smiled at Booth who was eyeing her almost without blinking, as if he thought he might miss something important.<p>

"Really Booth, I find that I'm feeling much better with no traces of queasiness at all. You're going to have to get used to this now that I'm pregnant. The average gestational period typically lasts up to 40 weeks which means we have 31 more weeks to go. It's likely that I'll even experience hormonal changes such as mood swings, being overly emotional, I could even experience a higher libido which seems unlikely since we both already have pretty high sex drives. And might I add that last night you were very satisfying. Your stamina is exceptional…"

"Bones", Booth cleared his throat and looked away blushing. Then he looked up and gave her a smile "Thank you, Bones".

"You're welcome", she smiled back at him and was almost tempted to move closer so they could lock lips but they were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. The couple looked up to see Cam stood in the doorway.

"Do you think you'll be okay to examine the remains now", she asked tentatively.

"Yes. Absolutely", Temperance replied.

"What was wrong out there earlier"? Cam was beginning to look slightly suspicious.

Booth immediately jumped out of his seat. "She ate some bad Chinese food last night, right Bones"?

"Yes! That's right. I think the chicken was way off. I got it from a place down the street…."

"Ooookay", replied Cam already looking disinterested with the story. "Tell me when you find something".

"Okay".

Bones and Booth exchanged one more glance before she disappeared onto the platform to examine the remains and Booth shrugged on his jacket. "I'll be at my office; I'm going to go over missing person's reports from the last few days to see if any of them match the victim. I'll call if we get a hit".


	2. Chapter 2  It's Magic

As Temperance Brennan examined the now freshly cleaned bones in front of her, she slowly turned her head to the left, feeling a pair of eyes on her. The eyes belonged to her intern Clark who looked perplexed.

"Is there a problem Doctor Edison"?

"Err….no! No. Of course not…it's just. You look different. I don't know how exactly…" He began scrutinising her.

"I beg your pardon? Can we please concentrate on identifying the victim"?

"Of course Doctor Brennan, I apologise".

Brennan felt uneasy knowing that she was hiding a secret from everyone but she agreed with Booth that they should at least wait until after her ultrasound scan in a couple of weeks and work on what they were going to tell their friends and colleagues. Somehow having Booth around made her feel better and she wished he'd find something on a possible victim quickly so he'd have an excuse to come to the lab. Just then, she heard a quick swipe of a key card and the sound of the security alarm. She looked up to see Booth waltzing toward her with a big grin across his face.

"We ran Angela's sketch through the missing person's data base and got a match. Our victim is Naomi Johnson, 18 years old, went missing 4 days ago. Apparently she was some big tennis hotshot". A perplexed expression arranged itself across Brenna's face.

"We haven't found any evidence on the remains to suggest that she was an athlete of any sort".

"What? Are you saying her profile's wrong or that this isn't Naomi Johnson"? Booth started to sound frustrated.

"This can't be her Booth, it doesn't add up".

"Does that mean Angela's sketch is wrong? Great. Naomi Johnson's parents are being shown to the interview room downtown as we speak. You coming Bones"?

"Okay, but you should avoid asking Angela for another favour. She left the baby for three hours this morning to do that sketch and it's unlikely she'll want to redo it. She's only 5 weeks into her maternity leave Booth. Maybe we should talk to the parents first. Doctor Edison can finish examining the remains and call me if you find anything at all".

Brennan ducked into her office and exchanged her lab coat for her jacket and followed Booth out of the building.

"Do I look different to you Booth"?  
>"What"?<p>

"Different. Am I showing or something"?

"What? Bones, no. Why?"

"Really? Because I would say I looked rather sallow and Doctor Edison seemed to think I look different. And this constant feeling of nausea, it's very disconcerting Booth. How am I supposed to show up at crime scenes with rotting flesh and blood and who knows what else when all I want to do is constantly vomit"?

"Bones, relax, okay? The morning sickness won't last forever and pretty soon we can tell people about us and then we won't have to make up excuses about you feeling sick or hide our relationship anymore".

"What if this doesn't work Booth"?

"What if what doesn't work? Look Bones, it'll all be fine in a couple of weeks when everything is out in the open, we can keep it a secret for a few more weeks". Brennan gave an exasperated sigh before looking him in the eyes.

"I meant us. What if it goes wrong? I feel like we're living some sort of dream and it's not really real".

"Bones, Listen to me". Booth said whilst trying to keep his eyes on the road. "We are real. We're very real, and don't you forget that. You're scared and emotional and pregnant but you're not alone okay. We're partners remember"?

"Is that how you'd describe us Booth, just partners"?

"Bones, that's not how I meant it. I meant that I'm here for you okay? I'm not going anywhere. We're in this together. And sure the baby is what has brought us together but that's not the reason I want to stick around. We've waited seven years for this Bones. We are not going to screw it up, okay"?

"Okay…" Brennan answered slightly breathless with a smile at her lips. Booth's sudden outburst had sent a very satisfying warmth through her and she felt better and safe. That's the way Booth had always made her feel…safe.

"It's a little piece of magic Bones. You and me together and expecting something so precious to look forward to".

"Booth, there's no such thing as magic". Brennan rolled her eyes and Booth's absurdity.

"Believe me Bones, its magic". His smile and the hopeful look appearing across his face told her not to argue this one.

"Okay Booth, it's magic". Brennan quickly swiped at a small tear that had formed in the corner of her eye without her consent and gave him a slow smile. He parked up and made sure no one was watching before leaning across to the passenger's seat and putting his arms around her and rubbing her back which he had taken to doing lately whenever they embraced. She liked it. As they began to part she impulsively touched his lips softly with hers and smiled almost simultaneously. Then they both got out and headed toward the main entrance of the FBI Building as nonchalantly as they could manage.

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><p><p>

As Booth interrogated Naomi Johnson's seemingly heartbroken parents, Brennan wondered how she would feel if anything ever happened to her and Booth's baby. In their line of work it was certainly a possibility, but then she was also certain that Booth would die before he ever let anything happen to someone he loved; especially his child. He was extremely protective and loyal and she was glad that is was Booth who was the father of her child.

"Are you telling us that the body you found isn't Naomi's"? Mrs Johnson asked, obviously realising for the first time that her daughter could still be alive somewhere.

"The sketch of the victim that we have is a match for your daughter. Do you have any idea how that could be possible"? Booth asked and Brennan realised from his tone of voice that he knew something was off.

"No Agent Booth. What exactly are you trying to say? And where the hell is our daughter? Are you still searching for her"? Mr Johnson began raising his voice but Booth kept calm.

"We will continue to search for your daughter. In the meantime we need a list of anyone close to her okay. Boyfriend, class mates, teachers, family friends. We'll need to interview everyone".

"Okay Agent Booth, I can do that", offered Naomi's mother with a sad yet hopeful smile at her lips but tears still in her eyes.

"We'll call you if anything changes", Booth added as he escorted them out of his office and to the elevator.

When he returned to his office, Brennan smiled and he gave her a questioning look. "They're lying". She said sounding rather pleased with herself.

"Well done Bones", he said with a proud smile. "You're getting the hang of this".

"Yes, I find that I am becoming quite perceptive when it comes to reading people".

"Yep", Booth smirked but Brennan missed the non-committal tone to his voice and the twinkle in his eye.

"In any case", Brennan continued. "We'll have to consult with Angela but I'm quite certain her sketch was accurate, which means…"

"Naomi Johnson has a twin", Booth finished for her.

"Correction", said Brennan with a serious expression rearranging itself on her features. "_Had _a twin".

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><p><p>

When Brennan arrived back at the lab with Booth, she was surprised to see Angela in her office with her back to them and wondered what she was doing back again and how on earth she had been persuaded to leave baby Michael for the second time that day. "Angela"? Brennan said as she shrugged off her jacket and draped it over the back of her small sofa.

Angela Montenegro spun around at the sound of her name and both Booth and Brennan were surprised to see the five week old baby Michael strapped to Angela's chest in his baby carrier. Angela rolled her eyes at the pair's expression of shock. "Don't look at me like that okay. Cam begged me to come and re do this sketch so I brought the baby with me. I can't be away from him for so long without experiencing an over whelming fear that something terrible is going to happen if I'm not there with him. So, I brought him along. Look", she said sounding excited. "He even has his own visitors badge", and Booth and Brennan both smiled at the laminated badge hanging on the front of his blue striped baby carrier. Trust Angela to bring her five week old in as a visitor to the Jeffersonian Institute.

"Hi there little guy", Booth cooed as he moved forward and bent down slightly to admire Michael Stecato Vincent Hodgin's chubby cheeks and little button nose". Brennan moved to Booth's side and rubbed the back of her index finger lightly across the baby's small rosy cheek to sooth him. At that moment, Cam poked her head around the door to Brennan's office and smiled at the scene before her.

"Sorry to break this up guy's but I need to borrow Angela for a minute".

"Okay, I'll be right there", said Angela exhaling a little louder than necessary, probably from lack of sleep and the annoyance of being back at work only five weeks into her 6 months maternity leave. "Can you take him for a few minutes", she asked turning to Brennan. "I really don't want my baby going within a few inches of human remains at such an early age", she added sarcastically. Brennan smiled.

"Of course". She reached over and lifted little Michael out of his baby carrier and he let out a soft groan in protest at being taken from the comfortableness of his mother's chest. "Shh shh shh" Brennan soothed the little person in her arms and then began to softly rock him back and forth as Booth looked on in admiration. Angela disappeared and Booth moved closer with a smile that spread across his entire face.

"How does it feel", he asked her.

"Quite satisfying", Brennan smiled and began humming the tune to Poco's Keep on Tryin' just as her father had done when she was a baby. Booth laughed to himself. Even with all of her quirks and social unawares, Bones was going to be an amazing mother to their baby. He could feel it.


	3. Chapter 3 Flashback

**A/N: First of all thank you to everyone who has alerted/favourited or reviewed this story! If anyone has any ideas they think I should be including feel free to let me know. I am trying my best to include the crime into this fic and write everyone in character. Hopefully I haven't done too badly. Anyway, tell me what you think. Also thank you to RomanticAngel92 for beta reading my chapters!**

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><p>"Okay, thanks", Booth flipped shut his cell and marched into Brennan's office with a self-righteous expression on his face. "It's been confirmed, Naomi Johnson's twin Hayley Laurence was reported missing a week ago when she disappeared after her Tennis lesson near her home in North Carolina".<p>

"So Naomi Johnson had a long lost twin"? Brennan confirmed.

"Looks that way", said Booth taking a seat on the office sofa a few feet away from where Temperance Brennan sat at her desk studying a file laid before her. "Can you believe it"?

"So my sketch wasn't wrong", interrupted Angela matter-of-factly as she waltzed into her best friend's office carrying the dark haired little baby, that had been very well behaved for the last five hours, and took a seat next to Booth. He held out his arms out to Angela indicating that he wanted his turn to hold the 5-week-old future genius that was Michael Hodgins and Angela smiled and relinquished her grasp on the infant and handed him to Booth. He looked even tinier in the arms of the tall, dark and handsome FBI Agent who seemed to be quite lingual in baby drawl whilst Angela and Brennan looked on in awe and great amusement.

"And I never said that your sketch was wrong Angela. Knowing how precise you are is what lead Booth and I to the conclusion that Naomi Johnson must have had a twin sister. It was the only logical conclusion".

"So what's the deal? The parents gave her twin up at birth"? Angela asked with an expression of distaste. Now that she was a mother she could never imagine giving up a child.

"Actually", cut in Booth. "Naomi Johnson's parents are not her real parents".

"They failed to mention that in the interview", added Brennan taking a sip of her coffee.

"Naomi and her sister Hayley Laurence were both adopted by different families when they were 6 weeks old. Their birth mother was just a teenager and gave them up the day they were born".

"I can't even imagine doing something like that", said Angela reaching over to her son who now held her little finger in his tiny palm. He had nestled himself into the crook of Booth's arm and was peacefully dozing. Angela let out a soft laugh. "He likes you Booth", she whispered so as not to disturb the sleeping baby.

"So what do we do now Booth"?

"Well Bones, we're going to interview Naomi Johnson's parents again and Hayley's parents have been notified of their daughter's death and they're flying in tomorrow from North Carolina".

"We can't release their daughter's body yet Booth".

"They know that Bones".

Silence fell over the room whilst the three of them just watched Michael sleep and listened to his quiet rhythmic breathing. "What's going on in here"? Asked Jack Hodgins entering Brennan's office and Booth, Brennan and Angela all simultaneously turned to shush him. He immediately laid eyes on his son. "Okay, sorry". He smiled and took a place on the arm of the sofa next to Angela. "You're looking quite at home their Booth".

"What"? Booth asked a little too loudly and Michael's small eyes shot open. "Now look what you did Hodgin's". Booth exchanged a guilty glance at Brennan who was trying to hide a smirk and failing miserably. Booth cleared his throat. "I should be getting back to do some interviews. Thanks Angela", he said returning the baby into her welcoming arms. "You coming Bones"?

"Booth, I have remains to examine. Just call me if you find out anything interesting and I'll call you when I determine cause of death".

"Fine", he said, and made his way out of her office.

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><p>So you're saying Naomi knew about her sister"? Booth was currently interrogating Devon Lewis; the blonde haired, blue eyed, nineteen year old boyfriend of Naomi Johnson.<p>

"Well, yeah. They'd met up a couple of times and talked over the phone".

"How long had this been going on"?

"Err…" the kid looked like he'd been given an equation involving quantum mechanics to solve and Booth lifted up his eyes to high heaven. "It was about two months ago, her parents had gone away for the week to an Inn in Vermont for their anniversary and Naomi visited her birth mother in Indiana. That's how she found out about Hayley. Before her parents came back she took a flight to North Carolina to confront her sister. They got along pretty well actually".

"Did Naomi's parents know about any of this"?

"No way. Naomi didn't want to hurt their feelings by telling them she went to see her real Mom and she didn't really get along with Mr and Mrs Johnson that well anyway, she didn't confide in them about stuff".

"Were Hayley and Naomi close"?

"Sure. They hadn't known each other for that long but, they're twins so I guess they just bonded. A couple of weeks ago, Naomi told me she'd been looking at colleges closer to her sister. Naomi and her parents had always planned for her to go to Corcoran College because she wanted to study Art and Design but I guess she changed her mind".

"Did you ever meet Hayley"? Booth was starting to think this case was going to be anything but simple.

"I was going to meet her. She was meant to be coming to Washington last week so that Naomi could break the news to her Mom and Dad and introduce them to Hayley, but she never made it. That was the last time I heard from Naomi too. It was last Tuesday night and she was expecting her sister the next day. We arranged to meet on Wednesday night at 8 at a coffee shop near her place but they never showed".

"And you didn't find it suspicious when you didn't hear from her"?

"I tried calling her cell but she didn't answer. I just figured she'd gotten into it with her parents again. Can I go now"?

"Sure. Just don't get any ideas about skipping town. I may need to talk to you again". Booth pushed back his chair and walked Devon to the elevator before making his way to his office. It was time to see what Bones could tell him about their victim.

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><p>Brennan began to squint at the remains before her, then immediately righted her eyes remembering the resentment she still held over Booth's derogatory remarks about people with high IQ's and basic reasoning skills. He had once told her that when the cop's got stuck, they brought in people like her; <em>squints<em>. That had been right after he'd accosted her at the airport after her trip to Guatemala seven years ago because he'd wanted her help on a case. The rest, as they say, was history. She had been standing over this set of bones for forty minutes and was beginning to feel a sadness that she was usually able to compartmentalise. She didn't want her hormones affecting her judgment or her ability to look at a set of remains impartially. This poor young girl had had, up until a few days ago, her whole life ahead of her and it had been cruelly taken away. Brennan frowned mentally re cataloguing the injuries; fractured skull with bruising on the frontal lobe, fracture to the right distal radius, hyoid fracture. Her cell phone rang and she quickly tossed her white latex gloves aside before pulling it from her pocket and seeing Booth's caller I.D.

"What's the verdict Bones"?

"There's a fracture to the right distal radius and hyoid…"

"In English Bones, please". It didn't matter how many times Booth became frustrated at her inability to _dumb_ things down, as he put it. It was just second nature for her to relay things giving them in their correct terms.

"Sorry, she has a broken wrist, fracture to her neck, damage below the clavicle…err, collar bone", she simplified. "A fractured skull and bruising on the ribs".

"What does this mean"?

"The injuries suffered by the victim are all common in defensive postures. There's also damage to the clavicle consistent with stab wounds, something with a serrated edge. The wound went no more than 3 inches deep and looks as though the murderer stabbed overhand which could mean the assailant was a woman. In any case the stab wound would have resulted in a pneumothorax, err, ruptured lung. The break to the wrist indicates the victim was holding her hands up in defence and the bruising on the ribs could be where she was held down, maybe someone knelt on top of her to restrain her".

"So... It's murder"?

"Yes. I feel quite comfortable in saying that cause of death was the fracture to the hyoid suggesting deliberate strangulation. This is murder Booth".

"Okay Bones. Good work. Listen, it's 7.30 so I was thinking we could grab dinner and pick this up tomorrow"?

"Okay, I'm almost finished. I'll meet you at the diner".

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><p>It was now 8.30 pm and Brennan and Booth sat across from each other at a small table by the window in the Diner. Brennan moved her salad around on her plate with distaste whilst Booth devoured his cherry pie, looking on in amusement at his pregnant girlfriend who was obviously nauseous again.<p>

"You going to eat that Bones"?

"I don't think so", she finally decided pushing the plate aside. "I can't say I won't be glad when the first trimester is over". She reached for her ice tea and took a small tentative sip. "Do you think that once the F.B.I find out about our relationship, they'll allow us to keep working together"?

"I don't know Bones", Booth finally answered looking solemn.

"Taking into account my considerable skill and factoring in that we have such a strong and mutually beneficial relationship, they should conclude that we would both be most useful solving crimes together, as partners", Brennan said with confident finality and Booth couldn't help but smile and hope that he could convince Cullen to allow them to keep working together.

"You know what Bones? You're right. You and me; we're like two peas in a pod".

"I don't know what that means", Brennan had the usual blank look on her face that came over her whenever someone used a figure of speech or common expression she wasn't familiar with. Her lack of social skills and trouble understanding jokes and sarcasm had improved greatly in the seven years she and Booth had been partners but they still left much to be desired. Booth didn't mind though, it was part of her charm.

"What it means Bones, is that I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we can still be partners and I don't want you to worry about it okay"?

"Okay", she resolved. "I trust you Booth". Whilst Booth ate the last of his pie and drank his coffee, the image of him cradling Michael Hodgins wouldn't leave her and a soft smile touched her lips. After a moment of comfortable silence Booth withdrew several bills from his wallet and placed them on the table as he stood. He stepped forward to Brennan's side and held out his hand.

"Your place or mine"? He asked and she smirked and stood up from the table, taking his hand. "I think a change of scenery would be nice, don't you"?

"What"? Booth asked in mock offence as they made their way out onto the street. "We go to your place all the time Bones".

"No, Booth…we're always at your apartment"!

"That's because my apartments better anyway".

"What"? Booth raised his hand and a taxi pulled over. "My place has a pool Booth". He scoffed at her weak comeback and opened the door for her to get in.

"Fine. We'll go to your place", he said sitting beside her and gave the driver directions.

"Good", she smiled.

As the cab wove its way through the twilit traffic of Washington D.C. Brennan laid her weary head on Booths shoulder and closed her eyes. He smiled at the gesture and brought his head down to rest on hers. Brennan thought back to the night her child was conceived.

The sad passing of Vincent Nigel-Murray and the threat of Jacob Broadsky had unsettled everyone and Booth had insisted she spend the night at his place. She had almost launched into a speech about how the idea of spending the night at his apartment to ensure her safety was ridiculous. After all she was highly skilled in the ways of martial arts and certainly had the means to protect herself. She even had a gun, that was bigger than Booths, and she was an excellent shot. Instead, however, something within her compelled her to accept his offer. The look in his eyes told her he would not have taken "No" for an answer anyway. So, she found herself lay on Booths couch gripping a blanket that reminded her of his scent and brought his face to the forefront of her jumbled thoughts. She had been replaying the same scene in her head for an hour; Vincent's dark red blood seeping onto the floor beneath him, Booth desperately trying to apply pressure to the gunshot wound, and the young British interns pleading words; "Please don't make me leave". Through tears she had reassured the dying young man that he could stay and that he was her favourite. She had immediately felt an overwhelming sadness, guilt and panic overcome her and she knew that if she could just hear Booth's voice, she'd be okay. As he lay with her in his arms, quieting her sobs, she had felt a shift in gravity. As if there was something meaningful tying her to the fragile life she now realised could be over far too quickly through unforeseen occurrence. It was Booth. She lifted her eyes to meet his and the kindness and love she saw there removed any lingering doubts. They lay, unmoving, for what felt like an eternity, Booth silently daring her to make the first move. It was her turn. So, she pressed her lips against his for only a few seconds and then drew back taking in a shaky breath, hoping with everything she had that he would not reject her. She had started to think she'd made a mistake until his lips came crashing down on hers and he swiftly positioned himself on top of her, his body hovering so as not to crush her with his weight. She ran her hands up his chest feeling the heat of his restraint and then he spoke for the first time in what seemed like an age. "Are you sure this is what you want Bones? If we do this, we can't go back".

"I know Booth, this is what I want".

For both of them, it had been so much more than a night of passionate, unprotected love making. Nevertheless, there had been the absence of birth control.

Now, as Booth moved his warm palm to rest on Brennan's stomach in the back seat of their cab, their lives were changed forever. There was a baby on the way that belonged to both of them and Booth couldn't wait to tell the whole world that he loved this woman and that she was going to have his child.


	4. Chapter 4 Surprise

**Sorry it's taken so long for chapter 4. The idea's were there but I had to make myself sit and write! Thank you if you have reviewed or alerted my story :) So I've been hearing some juicy Bones spoilers lately for season 7 which really inspired me to get typing and needless to say, I can't wait for November! Since the season 7 premiere will see Brennan heading into her third trimester, we won't get to see any rections from any characters unless the writers surprise us with some flashbacks so that's what I'll try to focus on in my next few chapters amongst other things. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy.** **Any idea's, _constructive_ critisism, PRAISE, is welcome! :-D** **I apologise in advance if there are any spelling mistakes I've missed.**

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><p>Jack Hodgins rushed up the steps to Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth, quickly swiping his key card as he went, unapologetically interrupting their conversation. "I just finished analysing the particulates I took from our victim's hair". Brennan and Booth both turned to look at the animated Entomologist who was practically bouncing up and down like a small child running into the playground eager to tell his mommy and daddy his exciting news. Cam followed him up onto the platform in her usual forbearing manner.<p>

"What is it Hodgins"?

"Something pretty interesting", he smirked.

"So…what did you find"? Asked Brennan genuinely interested whilst Booth leered and prepared to be bored by the scientific explanation he knew was headed his way.

"Besides various mineral particulates…" Hodgins caught Booths exasperated sigh. "That's dirt Booth. Anyway, I also found blood, no surprises there, and ethyl acetate".

"Huh", was all that escaped Cam's lips.

"What the hell is Ethyl Acetate"? Asked Booth.

"That's its trade name, systematically known as ethlyethanoate. It's manufactured on a large scale for use as a solvent but in our case this organic compound came from wine; more specifically a mature burgundy wine".

"Why would the victim have wine in her hair"? Cam gave Hodgins a puzzled look. Booth's ears pricked up and Brennan seemed to be having the same realisation.

"Naomi Johnson's parents have a wine cellar in their basement", said Booth looking satisfied with what he'd added to the conversation.

"You should get a warrant", Brennan said matter-of-factly.

Booth grinned reaching for his cell and punching in Caroline's number. "Already on it Bones".

After producing a search warrant and struggling past the outraged Mr and Mrs Johnson, Booth now stood in their basement, which had been transformed into a wine cellar, waiting for Bones to show and do her thing. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking for but he was sure the squints would find something incriminating, or at least he hoped they would. Something told him that the victim's parents knew much more than they were letting on. He could feel it in his gut and as he always told Bones, he never went against his gut feelings. After several minutes Bones made her way down to the cellar in her usual forensics suit and latex gloves but he noticed that her skin had a faint greyish tinge and assumed she'd had another bout of morning sickness. He felt sorry for her having to work and conceal her pregnancy symptoms but he also found it strangely reassuring because it reminded him that she was just human after all and conveyed her vulnerability in a way that made him feel overwhelmingly protective toward her, especially now that she was carrying his child. Whilst several other forensic investigators dusted over the cellar, Bones sprayed luminol to search for trace amounts of blood and in the end, found several large spots on the floor in the far right corner of the room and on the wine cellars cooling system which was now suspiciously broken. He ordered the large square cooling system to be taken back to the Jeffersonian with Bones and took great delight in arresting Naomi's parents who protested all the way to the FBI Building to be questioned again. As well as questioning Mr and Mrs Johnson he also interview her twin's mother and father who had flown in as well as the birth mother who had driven from Maryland and was devastated but Booth couldn't detect anything off about her and so for now he did his best to play good cop and console her.

"I swear Agent Booth, we have no idea how that blood got there". Mr Johnson raged.

"Maybe it happened when we weren't home"? Mrs Johnson offered, but Booth was in no mood to play games with people who were clearly lying to him.

"We can sit here all day and you can tell me one lie after another but it won't change anything. You're hiding something and I want to know what it is"!

It had been three hours since Brennan had set Hodgins to work on the cooling system and after some paperwork and some more time spent examining the remains for more clues, she went to sit down in her office. She had never felt worse. Her stomach was unsettled and her head spun but she pretended to work at her computer in case anyone walked into her office but she had a blank screen facing her and instead pulled out her secret stash of salted crackers and took a small sip of her bottled water. Just as she began to relax, her phone rang and she picked up immediately. "Doctor Temperance Brennan".

"Hello, Doctor Brennan. This is Helen; I'm calling to confirm your 4pm appointment tomorrow with Doctor Gates for your first ultrasound".

"Yes, thank you. I'll be there".

"Okay, have a nice day". The cheery sounding voice on the other end gave way to a dial tone and Brennan set down her phone. I nervous energy mixed with excitement formed in her gut in anticipation for tomorrow when she and Booth would hear their baby's heart beat for the very first time. More than ever, she wanted this case to over so she could sleep through a night and find some time to be excited about her baby. After Booth had interviewed Naomi's Johnson's parents for a third time as well as Hayley's parents and the twins' Birth mother, he had called to tell her that he had a confession from Mr and Mrs Johnson and she had told him that the blood from the cooling system belonged Naomi. He said they desperately needed to find Naomi to get the rest of the story and make sure she wasn't hurt before he made an official arrest. He was currently running her face through traffic camera's in Washington and said he would call when they got a match. In the meantime he had told her to sit tight and try to eat something. She was bored though and decided to call Angela and see how she was doing with baby Michael. The new Mom answered on the third ring and sounded relieved to hear the voice of another adult instead of the screams of a small infant.

"Hey sweetie. Are you and Booth making headway on the case"?

"We're getting there. How is it being a stay at home Mom"?  
>"You mean in between coming to work to do sketches and answering calls from Hodgins every half hour"? She pretended to sound irritated but wasn't very convincing when she had to stifle a small giggle. "It's sweet but seriously, Michael has been up screaming all night and all morning with ear ache and if Jack wakes him up one more time, I won't be responsible for my actions"!<p>

"Should you take him to a doctor", Brennan asked sounding concerned and her best friend was touched.

"We called the paediatrician; she gave us a prescription and said we could bring him in if it doesn't get any better by tomorrow. Are you ok sweetie? You sound a little off".

"Actually, Ange… I-"

"Bones come on, get your jacket"! Booth flew into her office and grabbed it for her before she had a chance to move.

"Angela, I'll talk to you later", Brennan put down the phone and rose from out of her chair at which point her floor was scattered with stray crumbs from her salted crackers.

"Missing Person's got a match on Naomi Johnson. She was seen heading into a young women's shelter downtown".

Brennan and Booth exited his car at the homeless shelter for young women and looked at each other with the same expression of distaste on their faces. It was a grungy looking grey building covered in graffiti from the outside with a couple of young mothers stood huddled together blowing cigarette smoke directly at their children, seemingly unaware that it was in any way wrong. Brennan moved towards the two mothers that were barely out of their teens. "That's very unhealthy for your children. If you insist on smoking you should really do it away from them".

"Excuse me, bitch"? The one holding a dirty looking brown haired toddler turned in Brennan's direction and pulled a hand through her shaggy blonde hair.

"Come on Bones", Booth put a protective hand on the small of her back and ushered her inside. He could tell she wanted to say more but she turned and walked with him inside anyway.

"Can I help you"? A middle aged woman with greying hair approached them wearing an apron as though she had been serving food.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth with the F.B.I. ma'am. We're looking for this girl. Have you seen her"?

She said nothing but instead moved aside and cocked her head in the direction of a set of old wooden tables where a group of women sat eating. He instantly spotted Naomi. She sat by herself with her head down and her hand protectively wrapped around a small polystyrene cup. Her golden blonde curls were a tangled mess and her jeans, purple hoody and converse sneakers looked filthy but aside from some bruising on her face, she was ok and he breathed a sigh of relief. As though she could feel his eyes on her, she abruptly lifted her head and he saw fear in her eyes. She knocked over her coffee in her haste to leave the table and she began to run into a crowd of other young women that were sat reading or entertaining their babies and toddlers at the far side of the room.

He went to go after her but Brennan's arm gently stopped him. "Let me Booth, she's scared".

Half an hour later, Booth and Brennan sat across from Naomi Johnson in the interview room at the F.B.I Building.

"Your parents confessed to killing your sister, Naomi. Can you tell us what happened"?

Tears welled in her eyes and she squeezed them shut and took in a deep breath before quickly swiping at them with her dirty sleeve. "They found out about Hayley when she came here to stay with me. I thought they'd be okay with it but they were so mad. They started arguing and tried to get Hayley to leave but I wouldn't let them. She was my sister. They didn't understand, she was my sister"! The teenager began to raise her voice and let out a cry before composing herself again. "They found an acceptance letter to a college in North Carolina and they said they weren't going to lose me. I told them that Hayley and I found our real Mom and that I'd been to see her whilst they were away, my Dad hit me. That's when Hayley, she just… she lost it. She went at him but he was stronger and he pushed her. She hit her head and she was bleeding. She said she was going to the police and I think he panicked or something", Naomi began to cry whilst seemingly reliving the trauma in her head. "My Mom was screaming for him to do something. When Hayley got up to leave, he pushed her down the stairs to the basement. I followed him and so did my Mom but it all happened so fast. Hayley was on the floor and she was screaming and my mom was shouting for her to 'shut up', that's what she kept saying 'just shut up'. That's when my Dad, he…he was on top of her and he was strangling her I tried to stop him but he threw me off of him and I hit my head on the cooling system. She was kicking and trying to get away but he was too strong", she began to cry again. "Then my Mom, she stabbed her, the blood, it was everywhere. I was crying and screaming, I didn't know what to do. When she stopped struggling, I knew she was dead, so I ran. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry". Brennan reached for her hand across the table and held it in her own.

"It wasn't your fault Naomi".

Brennan sat at the desk in her office finishing up her paperwork and Booth sat on her sofa. "I let Hayley Lawrence's parents know that they can take her body back to North Carolina. They said 'thank you'. What's to be thankful for"?

"Well Bones, now they can give their daughter a proper burial and her murderers are behind bars. They're grateful".

"But their child is dead Booth. They couldn't protect their child and now she's gone", she searched his face for understanding and found it instantly.

Booth rose from the sofa and sat in the chair at the other side of her desk. He took her hand in his own and gave her a gentle smile. "Our child will be okay Bones. I promise. I'd die before I let anything happen to you or our baby. Our child will be protected".

"I believe you Booth".

"Let's go home Bones".

She smiled and rose from her desks as he reached for her jacket and held it open for her to slip her arms into. "Your place or mine"?

He gave her a knowing smirk. "Definitely mine".

It was 3.55pm the next day and Brennan sat in the waiting room to Doctor Gates' office and adjoining exam room. She studied the flyers stuck to the notice board on the lemon coloured wall facing her. One was about water births and the other was advertising a Lamaze class nearby. She was about to check her watch again but stopped when Booth appeared with an unreadable expression on his face and took the seat next to her. "Sorry I'm a little late Bones".

"How did it go"? She asked tentatively. "Are we still partners"? Booth had met with Cullen earlier that afternoon to inform him of their new relationship status and that they were having a baby. Something they had both been dreading. She hoped with all she had that the answer was yes because she hadn't planned for the alternative.

"We're still partners Bones", he smiled and she let out a breath she didn't even realise she'd been holding. "But we have to see Sweets", he quickly muttered and then looked in the opposite direction pretending to study the flyer on water births.

"Booth"!

"I know Bones. I'm not too thrilled but it's better than the alternative, right"?

"Right". She conceded. With that he took her hand and they both smiled, as if they had just remembered they were about to hear their baby's heartbeat for the very first time.

"Brennan"? Both their heads shot up at the sound of an all too familiar voice.

"Booth? What are you doing here"? Angela and Jack stood before them, with Jack holding Michael in his black and lime green baby carrier. "How did you know we were here"?

"We didn't", said Brennan looking to Booth but he was blushing and didn't couldn't seem to look at either Jack or Angela directly. What are you doing here"?

"Michael had to see the Doctor about his earaches. I don't get it, if you didn't know, then why are you here"? Asked Angela, turning to Jack who looked equally as flummoxed.

Both Booth and Brennan began stuttering but at that exact moment Helen, the secretary, made her way over to them. "Doctor Brennan, I'll show you to the exam room for your ultrasound now and Doctor Gates will be with you shortly". She smiled pleasantly and then motioned for them to follow her.

All four adults stood silent for what seemed like an age before Helen turned to ask if everything was alright.

"Absolutely, we'll be right with you", said Booth in a voice that sounded strangely abstract. He took Brennan's hand and began leading her away from the astonished Angela and Jack who were still trying to take in the situation that was before them.

"We'll see you tomorrow", Brennan smiled faintly before turning her back on her friends and following Helen into the examination room.

* * *

><p><strong>So? What did you think? Review and let me know xx<strong>


	5. Chapter 5  That Guy's Got Nothing On Me

"Partially skeletonised. The angle of the mandible and the brow of the skull indicate a male Caucasian around forty to fifty judging by the ware on the mandibular teeth".

"Cause of death?" asked Booth peering over Brennan's shoulder in distaste.

"Undetermined right now due to the acceleration of de-comp", said Cam moving around to the other side of the remains. "Of all the things to find at a recycling centre", she muttered as if talking only to herself. Abruptly – and with resolution – she stood and addressed Booth, "We'll need the remains taking back to the Jeffersonian as well as everything from this particular shipment".

"That would be a good idea since we're missing three phalanges. I'll get Hodgins to take samples from this area and set him to work on sifting through all of this crap".

Brennan began making her way back to Booth's car, pulling off her gloves as she went and stopping outside the passenger door to take off her forensics suit.

"Bones", Booth appeared by her side flipping his cell phone shut. "We should talk about what we're going to say to Angela and Hodgins. There's only so many ways we can avoid seeing them".

"I'm going to tell Angela the truth Booth. She's my best friend. Whilst there are a number of things that can go wrong during the first trimester, logic tells me that telling Angela won't change anything, I'm certainly not superstitious, everything was okay at the ultrasound scan yesterday and we have to tell Sweets soon anyway".

"Okay, you handle that", he said with a sly smile "And I'll go through missing person's reports to see if anybody has reported a white male, aged forty to fifty missing in the last 48 hours".

* * *

><p>Less than twenty four hours earlier Brennan had been positioned, rather embarrassingly, on the cool examination table waiting for Doctor Gates to arrive. She had been instructed to take off her jeans and panties and place her feet in the stirrups at the bottom of the table with a thin white sheet pulled up to her stomach to conceal her modesty. Helen, the receptionist, had then invited Booth back around the other side of the partition that cut off the examination area to the rest of the room; the one that he had willingly ducked behind as soon as he'd heard mention of Brennan having to take off the bottom half of her clothing. With a slight blush he re-appeared and took a seat beside her head and gave her a reassuring smile. "The Doctor will be right with you", said Helen with a smile and disappeared.<p>

As they waited anxiously they both studied a large poster of fetal development pinned on the adjacent wall. "That's amazing, Bones." His expression was one of awe and wonderment. "Our baby is about two point three centimetres right now and weighs about two grams; he's already developed his basic physiology by now with his eyelids now completely covering his eyes", he informed her, obviously reading directly from the poster.

"Or her's", Brennan reminded him and then her eyes lit up and she began to offer more insight of the development of their baby. "Did you know that - in the next two weeks of fetal development - our baby will have begun to develop his or her vocal chords, their eyes will start moving closer together and their liver will begin to function? It's quite fascinating".

"Sorry to keep you waiting folks". Doctor Gates breezed into the room simultaneously popping his pen back into his upper left pocket on his pristine white coat. "I had an early delivery upstairs". He was a tall man, only an inch or so shorter than Booth with greying hair and kind, brown eyes. He wore a simple gold wedding band on his left hand and a watch on his right wrist which was adorned with a plain brown leather strap. Booth was glad he wasn't a flashy sort of man because it suggested he cared more about his job than showing off how much money he earned. "I hear this is your first baby"?

"Yes", Brennan answered. "But it will be Booth's second child", she thoughtfully added and he beamed up at her from his seat, clearly excited for what was about to happen. "Although, Booth's son was born out of wedlock, something that greatly distresses him but…"

"Err…Bones", Booth hissed into her ear. "Doctor Gates doesn't need to know any of this".

"Booth, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Parker is much better off with you and Rebecca sharing custody than he would have been if you'd have gone ahead and married Rebecca. Did you know that, statistically speaking, around 45% of all marriages end in divorce? Anthropologically speaking marriage is an unnecessary and drastically archaic establishment anyway."

"Bones!" Booth fought the urge to suffocate the mother of his child.

"You must be very excited to be doing this for a second time Agent Booth", Doctor Gates said, changing the subject, as he reached for a wand shaped object and pulled the little screen it seemed to be hooked up to closer to the examination table where Brennan half lay, half sat and took his chair at the foot. He slipped on his white latex gloves, snapping them around his wrists, the sound echoed around the silent room whilst Booth looked on confused as the Doctor slid a condom down the length of the wand and applied what looked like lubricant.

"W-w-what is that?" Booth asked turning a shade of red Brennan had never seen before. "Where's the stomach probe thing-y with the gel?" Brennan was wondering the same thing herself and then a dawn of realisation hit her and she felt only slightly embarrassed for Booth's sake.

Doctor Gates let out a gentle knowing laugh and addressed both Brennan and Booth. "This is a trans-vaginal ultrasound wand. It's inserted just a few inches into the vagina and it gives us a more accurate due date; it's easier to check the fetal heart beat so early on and asses the uterine lining. Don't worry, it isn't painful, just maybe a little uncomfortable; probably more so for you Agent Booth than Doctor Brennan here".

Brennan seemed to find it highly amusing and began to laugh along with Doctor Gates but Booth shifted nervously in his seat and tried to focus on the fetal development poster whilst the Doctor began his examination. A fuzzy image appeared on the screen quickly becoming clearer. The two studied it with great interest and excitement. In all honesty Booth thought it looked much more like static interference on his TV set but Bones seemed to know exactly what she was looking at. After a few tense moments they heard the most glorious sound echoing throughout the now silent room; the two breathed a sigh of relief. Doctor Gates merely smiled. "And there's the heartbeat folks", he said in a jolly tone.

Booth laughed and without thinking pressed his lips to Brennan's and then took her hand in his. "That's our baby Bones".

"I know Booth", and even she couldn't help a wide smile spreading across her face or her eyes from slightly watering at the sight on the small screen before them.

"I'm going to measure the foetus to determine how far along you are", said Doctor Gates and then began tapping at the computer keys. "From my measurements, you're 10 weeks along like you thought. There's a strong heartbeat, everything looks good. I'll give you chance to get dressed and see you in my office so we can talk about your due date and book your next appointment".

* * *

><p>"Sweetie, this is amazing news!" Angela sat across from Brennan at the Diner nursing her second glass of iced tea whilst rocking Michael in his baby carrier positioned on the chair next to her. "How far along are you? When did you find out? Is Booth excited? Are you excited?"<p>

Brennan smiled at her best friend's enthusiasm and began to relax. "Booth and I are very happy about it. I'm 10 weeks along and I found out about a month ago".

"A month?" Angela shrieked excitedly and then lowered her voice and winced as her son opened one eye and then another. "Go back to sleep sweetie". She began rocking the baby carrier a little too enthusiastically which only roused baby Michael further. He opened his mouth and let out a loud wail. "Oh no honey, it's nap time", she whispered to her son and then checked her watch and looked disappointed.

Brennan stood and leaned over the table. "Let me, Ange". She opened the straps that had been holding the little baby in place and, in one smooth movement, he was in her arms. She slowly sat back down and began to rock him gently and, to Angela's surprise, his heavy lids began to drift slowly shut.

"How did this happen?" Asked Angela as she began to relax back into her seat.

"Oh, well, you were a little too loud Ange. Babies have extremely sensitive hearing; you really should talk in hushed tones when he's sleeping".

"Not that", her friend said sounding slightly exasperated. "You. Having a baby".

"Right. Well, I told you, Booth and I had intercourse. It was quite satisfying", she added with a grin and Angela couldn't help but smile. "When I told him I was pregnant and that the baby was his, he was pleased about it. We came to an understanding and decided to raise this baby together".

"Gee, how romantic", Angela's words dripped with sarcasm.

"Nothing is going to change Angela. Mine and Booth's relationship is private and it has to be separated from our working relationship. It's the only way we can be partners".

"Okay, I get it", she sighed. "Do I have to keep this a secret"?

"For now, although I suppose you'll be telling Hodgins, naturally. Plus, Booth and I have to tell Sweet's soon".

"You have to tell Sweets. Oh my God. I'd almost forgot to factor him in!"

"Sweet's will want to psycho analyse us and this whole situation, probably make us do another quiz. Psychology is a soft science at best and is backed up by no empirical evidence. It's based largely on opinion and interpretation rather than fact".

"Are you forgetting that Sweet's was perceptive enough to realise that you and Booth were meant to be together? Long before you did, by the way." Angela gave Brennan a satisfactory little grin.

Brennan merely rolled her eyes at her best friend before turning her full attention to the baby stirring in her arms and once again began to gently rock him. "I think I'll be good at this". She concluded with a soft smile.

"I think you'll be great at it, sweetie".

* * *

><p>Brennan, now adorned in her blue lab coat, swept up the steps onto the platform at the Jeffersonian were the recent remains lay, quickly swiping her key card and pulling on her gloves.<p>

Her intern Wendell was already looking over the set of Bones with interest and looked up to greet her as she joined him on the other side of the brightly lit table. Before she could give the set of remains her full attention, the sound of another key card being swiped disturbed her thoughts and she looked up to see Booth ascending the steps.

"What have we got Bones"?

"I'm examining the remains now Booth, Wendell has just finished cleaning them".

"That's good because I didn't have any luck going through missing person's. Where's Angela when you need her"?

"Probably at the Diner, I just had lunch with her", offered Brennan in her usual literal manner.

"The diner, huh?" Booth quickly turned away and pulled out his cell phone whilst Brennan addressed Wendell.

"The remains were found at a private recycling centre partially wrapped in a plastic bag. Hodgins is sifting through the shipment in which the bones were found to try and locate the missing finger and toe phalanges".

Booth returned his attention to Brennan with a smirk. "Angela is coming in to do a facial reconstruction".

"Booth", Brennan scolded him. "Angela is on maternity leave".

"It's a few hours, okay Bones? In the meantime I'm working with the private recycling firm to try and track the shipments and find out where this guy came from. Call me if you determine cause of death", Booth added before descending the steps and disappearing.

"The right side of the sternum is crushed which probably occurred post mortem, most likely from being buried under a shipment of recycled material."

"I can see several fractures to the tibia and cuboid bone, as well as the collar bone and the lumbar vertebrae, again all of which probably occurred post mortem after the body was dumped", said Wendell.

"There's also a broken left clavicle, trauma to both his knees, a nick on his left ankle, fracture to his thumb and broken ribs, all ante mortem, as though he was tortured but some of these injuries are two decade's old whilst other's show almost no signs of remodelling".

"These are all common sports injuries associated with football in particular".

"That's right."

"Look at this", said Wendell, his forehead creasing as he studied the victim's skull more closely. "Bruising on the frontal bone and the back of the skull is cracked".

"Head trauma could definitely be the cause of death. We'll wait until Angela does a facial reconstruction and maybe we'll find something to help us".

Two hours later, Booth, Brennan, Cam and Angela stood around the "Angelatron". As Angela fiddled with her remote, a holographic image appeared before them of a middle aged man with dark blonde, slightly greying short hair. As Booth and Cam both studied his familiar green eyes, long straight nose, and high cheek bones and chiselled jaw, both their foreheads creased at once.

"I'm confused", said Cam turning to Booth whilst Angela and Brennan watched Booth and Dr Saroyan with interest, realising that there was a piece of information that had gone straight over their collective head.

"You and me, both", said Booth now squinting at the image. "It can't be right Angela. If it is this image is a look to twenty years down the line".

"What are you talking about Booth?" Angela asked patiently.

"This is Bram Heeley." When neither Angela nor Bones responded, he elaborated. "Line backer for the Hawks?"

"Who?" Now it was Brennan's turn at confusion.

"The Seattle Sea Hawks. He plays for the NFL! Ring any bells? Who am I kidding; of course you don't know any NFL football players".

"You're right Booth, I don't know who that is but it certainly would account for all of the sports injuries".

"My facial reconstruction is not wrong Booth", Angela said accusingly.

"There's a simple explanation for this", offered Brennan. "A male who resembles this football player: Bram Heeley?" She asked looking to Booth for conformation.

"That's right".

"But who looks a couple of decades older. Isn't it obvious? It could be his father".

Booth looked impressed and whistled in admiration. "Nice one Bones. I'll check it out. Are you coming?"

"Sure, let's go. Thanks Ange".

"You're welcome", she crooned setting down her remote and retrieving Michael in his baby carrier where she had set him on the floor next to her chair. "Let's go find Daddy baby boy".

* * *

><p>"Bones, all I'm saying is, be cool. Don't go asking him any questions, okay? When dealing with celebrities, you have to go about things a little differently. Just let me do the talking Bones".<p>

Brennan grew indignant and finally felt the necessity to point out the obvious to Booth. "I will be _cool_, as you put it Booth. He's a football player, not a Greek god. And you fail to realise that I probably have nearly as much money as he does, meaning I'm hardly going to find his celebrity intimidating. If anything, I should intimidate him. I'm the best in my field Booth, plus, I'm an author who has appeared on the New York Times best seller list several times. In addition. I have a much higher than average IQ and I'm quite beautiful".

"Okay Bones", he said finally giving in. He couldn't help a little smirk from finding its way to his lips at Bones' description of herself. She certainly hadn't said anything that wasn't true but the way in which she pointed out the obvious still didn't fail to amuse him, even after all this time.

As Booth's car wove through North Beacon Valley in Seattle, he admired some of the architecture and a particularly beautiful garden where a small blonde toddler threw her head back with laughter and took the hand of an older little girl wearing a similar pink coloured little sun dress and straw hat. The younger of the two girls, looked towards the house were an attractive blonde haired woman stood framing the front doorway with a smile on her face waving to, what Booth assumed, were her two daughters. He wondered if he and Bones would ever live in a beautiful suburban house like this one with their little son or daughter playing in the front yard. He supposed not. Brennan was quite attached to her apartment, as was he to his own apartment, and he couldn't picture them living the quiet suburban life he saw before him whilst he was an FBI Agent and she was a Forensic Anthropologist. He was also trying to resign himself to the fact that he would probably never be married and an unfamiliar unpleasant feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

"This is it", Bones' voice interrupted his thoughts as they pulled into a quiet cul-de-sac with large stone washed villa's and bright green lawns with expensive cars adorning the immaculate driveways.

They both exited the car and made their way to number two-twelve. Booth knocked on the door and after a few seconds it swung open revealing a younger looking version of the victim they had seen at the lab a few hours earlier. "Bramwell Heeley?"

"Yes". He looked from Booth to Brennan and his gaze stopped on her as a broad grin took over his face and he tried subtly to look her up and down. Brennan smiled as Booth introduced himself, and decided that Bram Heeley was much better looking than the victim. The star athlete didn't seem to take any notice of what Booth was saying until he introduced her. "And this here is my partner Doctor Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian".

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor Brennan", he said stepping forward and offering his hand. She took it politely and looked to his bright green eyes covered with thick dark lashes as his warm palm connected with hers and stayed there a little too long before Booth raised one eye brow and interrupted by shoving his badge alarmingly close to Mr Heeley's face and clearing his throat.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions My Heeley. May we come in?"

"Of course", he said with his eyes still on Brennan. "This way."

He lead them into a large sitting room off to the right and as Brennan and Booth took seats on the cushy cream sofa across from Bram, Booth sat so close to Brennan that she was forced to reposition herself a little to the left as Booth was almost sat in her lap. He whipped out the print of Angela's reconstruction and turned it toward Bram. "Do you recognise this man, Mr Heeley?"

"Sure", he said his brow knitting in alarm. "That's my Dad. Is he in some sort of trouble?"

Booth and Brennan eyed each other for a second before turning their attention back to Bram. Brennan was the one to speak next. "Mr Heeley, this is the facial reconstruction taken from a set of remains we found this morning in Washington DC. We believe they belong to your father."

Bramwell Heeley's expression faltered before he vaulted from the adjacent sofa and turned his back to them pinching the bridge of his nose were tears formed. "Are you sure it's my father?" He asked turning back to them rubbing a hand roughly over his face as if to compose himself.

"We're sure Mr Heeley", Brennan confirmed, her voice softening. "We're very sorry for your loss."

"We need you to come with us for questioning Mr Heeley", said Booth. "Is there anyone you want to call first?"

"Yeah", he said reaching for his cell. "My uncle, he was the last one to see my Dad".

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe he's gone". Bram was seated at the long table in the meeting room in the FBI building.<p>

"It's okay, son", Bram's Uncle, Mr John Heeley, who was seated next to Bram placed his arm around his shoulders and then addressed Booth.

"You say he was found at a recycling centre"?

"That's right", answered Booth. We found him this morning.

"How long do you think he was there"?

"It's hard to tell right now", said Brennan eyeing the clearly distraught Bram.

Booth leaned forward placing his forearms on the smooth surface of the table. "You're nephew here told us you were the last one to see your brother. Exactly when was that"?

"A little over a week ago".

"And where were you"?

"We were at the bar near my house. We went there a lot".

"Is there anyone who can confirm that"?

"Sure. Hewey, the bartender. He served us that night".

"What was your relationship like with your brother? If you don't mind me asking, Mr Heeley"?

"Of course not", he said looking from Bram to Agent Booth. "He was my brother and my best friend. We both spent a lot of time together, especially with Bram. Calvin was a sports Agent and I'm Bramwell's business manager".

Brennan spoke next, addressing Bram, who was gazing down at the table and seemed lost in his own thoughts. "Do you know if your father had any enemies? Anyone who would want to harm him"? His head snapped up, as if remembering where he was.

"No, no one. Everyone loved my Dad; he was just that kind of guy. Right, Uncle John"?

"Absolutely".

"Okay", said Booth, addressing both men. "We'll contact you with any new developments or if we need to speak to you again". They both shook Booth's hand and gave Brennan a gentleman like nod. After the two men left the room, Brennan retrieved her jacket from the back of her chair and turned to Booth.

"I better get back to the lab and see if Hodgins has found the missing phalange's yet".

"Ok I'll drive you".

As they headed toward the elevator, Booth looked around and seemed distracted which Brennan thought was odd. The door's opened and they stepped inside.

"Everything okay, Booth"?

"You seemed to pay Mr Heeley a lot of attention today", he observed, trying to appear casual.

Brennan smiled. "If you're wondering if I find him attractive Booth, the answer is yes".

"What"? He looked outraged and slightly dumbfounded.

"Booth, we're in a committed relationship now; you don't need to worry. But it's inevitable that on occasion I will be sexually attracted to another man, it doesn't mean I'll act on those impulses. Just the same as I'm sure you find other women sexually attractive. It's human nature Booth".

"Okay, whatever Bones. Just don't go looking into his eyes again".

"Are you jealous"? She asked through a laugh.

"Of what"? He said, now sounding slightly cocky. "We both know that guy has nothing on me", he said smirking once again.

"Something we agree on", she said smiling as they made their way to the parking lot. "Booth"?

"Yeah, Bones"?

"You're just jealous because a celebrity likes me better than you". One again her laughter filled the parking lot and Booth's scowl grew more intense.

"Let's just get you back to the lab, shall we Bones"?


End file.
